The Annunciation to the Shepherds

More than fifteen years after the etched Annunciation to the Shepherds, Rembrandt revisited the theme. The drawing is considerably more austere, but the emotions are still as intense as in the 1634 etching: people and animals are startled by the heavenly apparition. The shepherd at left seems to hesitate between running away and listening. A cow flees on unsteady legs and the sheep begin to scatter.